iPhone 16 launch event on September 9: Expected Apple Watch lineup for 2024 | Tech News

The year 2024 marks the tenth anniversary of the Apple Watch and the company is reportedly making big changes. According to media reports, the Apple Watch Series 10 will feature a larger display on both smaller and larger models.

The smaller Apple Watch model will likely measure 45mm, up from 41mm last year. Likewise, the larger model is expected to be 49mm, up from 45mm on the Apple Watch Series 9. For larger displays, Apple is expected to incorporate low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technology for its OLED display, which allows for dynamic refresh rate adjustments.

To avoid the Apple Watch Series 10 becoming bulkier despite the larger displays, the case is getting a new, slimmer design. This change should significantly reduce the thickness of the Apple Watch Series 10.

Apart from the cosmetic changes, the Apple Watch Series 10 is expected to be powered by a new S10 chip. The expected S10 chip would likely feature a dedicated Neural Engine (Neural Processing Unit) with improved AI processing capabilities.

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to expect

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 will likely feature a similar design to its predecessor with little to no changes. However, similar to the Apple Watch Series 10, the Watch Ultra 3 is expected to get better performance and improved AI processing with the new S10 chip. While Apple is not expected to introduce Apple Intelligence features to the Apple Watch right away, the new processor would enable the watch to support AI features in the future.

Additionally, the battery size of this year's Apple Watch Ultra could be slightly increased, which could result in slightly better battery life than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in 2023.

New Apple Watch SE: What to expect

In addition to its flagship Apple Watches, Apple could also launch a new model of its cheaper Apple Watch SE.

Previously, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple is working on a “hard plastic” case for the next-generation Apple Watch SE model, which could significantly reduce manufacturing costs. However, instead of reducing the cost of the Apple Watch SE, the company could offer improved features and better performance.

The new Apple Watch SE model could come with last year's S9 chip. However, it wouldn't be surprising if Apple used the new S10 chip in its affordable Apple Watch model. Apple could take this step to future-proof the device as the SE models are updated less frequently compared to regular models. With more processing capacity, Apple could introduce some advanced features like Always-On Display and ECG monitoring.

First published: 05 September 2024 | 16:28 IS